Morning journal and courier., 1887-04-20
sHOPLIFTERs IN PARIS.
Many of Them Pay Well for the Priv
tIege of Trying Their Hands at Steal

1Iege of Trying Their Hands at Steal
ing.
From the Philadelphia Telegraph
The establishment in Paris of the gigantic
bazaars known as the Bon Marche, the Lou
vre, the Pygmalion, the Printemps and the
like has given rise to new form of crime in
the shape of continual petty thefts, often
committed by persons whose state of for
tune and social position not only elevate
them above want, but above suspicion. On
the great opening days especially, when eve
ry department is crowded with customers
and every counter is loaded with tempting
articles, the apparent ease and immunity
with which theft can be effected, Joined to
the attractiveness of the goods, are sure to
lure numbers of women (for these thefts are
rarely committed by men) into surreptitious-
ly appropriating various articles. The aver
age of these cases of theft is one hundred
and fifty day. The criminal is never ar
sion and cause a scandal. A detective in
plain clothes follows her to the door, and
when she is about to quit the shop requests
her politely to step with him into a back
room. There she is searched and the sto-
len articles taken from her. If it is a
first offence she is dismissed with a repri-
mand.
When detected in second theft the Of
fender is conducted before the administra-
tive council of the house, her name and
address are demanded and her abode is
searched through the medium of a permit
which she is required to give. Usually a
large quantity of merchandise, for whose
presence she is unable to account, is found
in her rooms. The unused articles are
taken away and she is obliged to furnish a
written promise of payment to the shop.
She is besides compelled to pay fine, va
rying according to her means and her So
cial position from one dollar to two thou
nd 6n11 f0r he ba,,nGA Of {ho of
the quarter. There are in fact certain priv
ileged quarters in Paris where there are no
poor people, SO amply are the needs of the
INDECENT provided for from this source.
Should the thief prove contumacious and
refuse to give her name and address she is
cuted in ordinary fashion. Among these
shop thieves are numbered ladies of the
highest rank, the wives of foreign ambas-
sadors, &c. Some of these women are un-
doubtedly the victims of kleptomania. One
of them, an immensely rich old countess,
is SO well known that whenever she enters
one of the great shops all the watchers
are on the alert. They are sure to catch
her sooner or later in the act of helping
herself to some trihing object, such as a
| pair of gloves, a box of writing paper, a
pocketbook or a bow of ribbon. She is
then politely requested to go before the ad-
ministrative council, and for each offence is
AA1Oo O1C AuAO4cu WAlCA SuS pays
down at once without protostation or with
out murmur. Among the poorer thieves
the most frequent offenders are governesses
ont of work, and their thefts are almost in
variably of gloves. It is almost indispensa-
bic for them to appear well gloved when they
go in search of situation. They cannot af-
ford the expense and SO they yield to temp
tation. The excuse of actual want is very
rare. Very seldom are useful garments sto-
len, even for children. Ribbons, gloves,
knicknacks, fans, ornaments, &C., are the
objects that are usually taken.
At the approach Of the holiday season
thieves fairly swarm in the large stores. In
single one there were one hundred and five
arrested last Christmas eve. Not one of the
throng was prosecuted. There was only one
workwoman in the whole lot, and she had
stolen toy for her little child. In fact the
women of the working class are generally
too busy to go shopping in this nefarious
manner. After the society women and the
governesses the most constant offenders are
servants out of plaee-that is to say outside
of the line of professional thieves.